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Lead vocalist and guitarist Takashi Yamaguchi first met drummer Yasufumi Kiuchi a few years back, at a university music club they were both members of. The duo ran into bassist Yoichi Kondo during February 2000, and the three went on to officially form the band now known as Sambomaster. They made their debut at a live house in Tokyo's Kōenji district and soon followed this up with the self-production of their first single "Kick no Oni" (Kicking Demons), which they spent nearly a year working on. It was subsequently released in April 2001 as a limited edition of 300 copies. For the first time, listeners outside of a live show were presented with vocalist and frontman Yamaguchi's vocals, which shift between a soft, sandpaper-like melodic voice to all-out screaming madness. Sambomaster's musical style is a blend of punk/classic rock, pop, jazz and rock ballads.
The year 2003 saw the release of their very first major-label album, Atarashiki Nihongo Rock no Michi to Hikari and a live performance at the Fuji Rock festival's Rookie GO GO. This led to a huge rise in their success and more widespread notoriety. They have been gathering acclaim from both critics and regular listeners ever since.

In 2004 and 2005, Sambomaster released the majority of their hit singles including "Seishun Kyōsōkyoku" and "Sekai wa Sore wo Ai to Yobundaze"; "Seishun Kyōsōkyoku" was used as the fifth opening theme to the hit anime series Naruto, and "Sekai wa sore Ai to Yobunda ze" ended up being the ending theme to the popular Japanese television drama Densha Otoko (and also Nintendo DS game Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2). They were also asked to do the main theme to the movie Koi no Mon, which became the song Tsuki ni Saku Hana no Yō ni Naru no. Recently, their song Hikari no Rock was featured as the single for the film Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion. In March 2009, their song "Kimi wo Mamotte, Kimi wo Aishite" was announced to be the nineteenth ending song in the hit anime series Bleach. In 2010, they performed the ending theme for the Kuragehime anime, "Kimi ni Kirei no Kizuite Okure".

In March 2005, 3 members of the television variety show Haneru no Tobira ("You Knock on a Jumping Door!") filmed a comedy sketch called "Busambomaster". The sketch featured a music video parody of the 3 Haneru members pretending to be Sambomaster, playing a Sambomaster-style song called "Iitai koto mo iezuni" (English: "Not even saying what I want to say"). However, the 3 Haneru members also made their faces look like caricatures of Yamaguchi, Kiuichi, and Kondo, with features such as enlarged nostrils, buck teeth, and profuse sweating. The lyrics of the song were also made to humiliate lead vocalist Yamaguchi's tendency to scream his thoughts out to fans before and after songs (and sometimes in the middle of songs). Many Sambomaster fans were offended by the song, and after much protesting, Haneru no Tobira eventually apologized on their show.

Sambomaster appeared in a split album with the band Onanie Machine. This is the first appearance of some of Sambomaster's future hit songs, such as "Utsukushiki Ningen no Hibi", "Tegami", and "Sononukumori ni Yō ga Aru" (as well as the other two in their own right). The versions on this album feature only Takeshi, Yasufumi, and Yoichi playing the songs. Later versions, such as the versions on their singles and albums, were touched up, polished, re-mixed, and sometimes re-recorded with extra musicians. In a sense, the songs on this album are the "original" versions. Sambomaster songs are tracks 6 to 10, italicized and bolded below:

Mendokusee

Lovewagon

Boku wa Stalker

Soshiki

Pokochin

Sayonara Baby

Utsukushiki Ningen no Hibi

Tegami

Futari

Sono Nukumori ni Yō ga Aru

E.V. Junkies II "Guitarocking" (June 30, 2004)

Sambomaster has 2 songs on this compilation album, tracks 9 and 14, italicized and bolded below. "Itoshiki Hibi: Country Sad Ballad ver." is a version with Alice singing most of the vocals.

Kimi to iu Hana / Asian Kung-Fu Generation

Magic Words / Straightener

Mountain a Go Go / CaptainStraydum

Shalilala / Flow

Ima made nan domo / The Massmissile

Nostalgic / The Droogies

Jitterbug / Ellegarden

Gunjō / Tsubakiya Quartette

Tsunagari / Sambomaster

Shiroi Koe / Lunkhead

Boku no Sonzai wa Uso janakatta / Outlaw

Alive / Raico

Rakuyou: Long Ver. / Orange Range

Itoshiki Hibi: Country Sad Ballad ver. / Alice meets Sambomaster

Magokoro Covers (September 1, 2004)

Sambomaster recorded a cover of Magokoro Brothers' "Dear John Lennon" in this compilation album.